Last year, the CBRS Alliance announced that we had selected CTIA to manage our new product certification programfor CBRS equipment. CTIA, a trade association representing the wireless communications industry in the United States, was awarded the contract due to its longstanding track record of success in the certification and testing space. It was an exciting step in ensuring the successful deployment of CBRS devices, but why are certification programs so important?

If you’re not a testing and certification professional, these kinds of programs probably aren’t front of mind when it comes to developing and deploying new technology. But a successful certification program is key to ensuring that new equipment performs as advertised and works well with other devices in the ecosystem. This is especially important for market adoption, as buyers expect the devices they purchase to work out of the box, and the best way to ensure that is to offer an efficient one-stop-shop approach for certification.

So, what would happen if we didn’t have a certification program? Equipment buyers would have no idea if the devices they’re purchasing actually perform as advertised, or if they’re compatible with CBRS equipment produced by other vendors. Buyers then become reluctant to buy the equipment in the first place, ultimately stalling market adoption and slowing down innovation in the CBRS band.

The CBRS Alliance aims to have its members go through the certification program and encourages equipment buyers to ask their vendors to do the same. By establishing a set of a standards for performance and interoperability, we’re defining the level of quality we expect from those who wish to sell CBRS equipment.

Our certification program is a major step in the commercialization of CBRS and addresses FCC certification, WInnForum-specific test certification, and compliance with CBRS Alliance specifications. With support from the Alliance’s member companies, CTIA, equipment manufacturers, global test labs, end users, and the hundreds of companies in the wireless ecosystem, we’re investing in the future of LTE solutions and market adoption of CBRS technologies.

If you’re test lab, device manufacturer or a business leader who’s interested in getting involved in the CBRS Alliance, drop us a line at admin@cbrsalliance.org. Also, be sure to connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up to date on all the exciting work we’re doing.

About Kurt Schaubach

Kurt Schaubach is the Chairman of the CBRS Alliance’s Test and Certification Working Group, and Chief Technology Officer at Federated Wireless. Kurt brings 25 years of wireless industry experience to Federated Wireless where he plays a key role in developing technologies and new business strategies to create the next-generation architecture of broadband wireless.
Kurt has been active in spectrum development, management, and policy matters throughout his career. Kurt was a founding member of a publicly traded wireless broadband and multimedia software company and led the acquisition and integration of two wireless infrastructure companies. He currently serves on the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (CSMAC) and has spoken about CBRS at numerous industry events.